The Black Death’s 14th-century survivors had genetic traits now linked to autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s. This demonstrates how past pandemics influenced the evolution of human immunity genes, highlighting the complex interplay between pathogens and human genetic adaptation.
Ancient Greek Midwifery: Exclusively Women’s Domain
In ancient Greece, men were legally prohibited from becoming midwives, as the law mandated that only those who had experienced childbirth themselves could qualify for the profession. This requirement was based on the belief that firsthand knowledge of the birthing process was essential for providing the best care to expectant mothers. Additionally, women in ancient Greece often felt more comfortable receiving care from other women during childbirth due to cultural norms and the intimate nature of the process.
Inspired by Cinema: The Birth of Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI)
In the 1998 film “Enemy of the State,” the National Security Agency (NSA) pursues Will Smith utilizing real-time satellite feeds, a surveillance technology that was not available at the time. However, the movie’s portrayal of this advanced system inspired a government research engineer to spearhead the development of Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI).
WAMI is a cutting-edge surveillance technology that allows for the continuous monitoring and tracking of a vast area using high-resolution imagery. This innovative system can be mounted on various platforms, including drones and aircraft, to provide real-time information on the ground.
Canine COVID Detectives: Efficient Screening with Scent-Trained Dogs
Dogs adept at detecting scents can be utilized to identify children with COVID-19, providing a more cost-effective and efficient screening method during pandemics. A group of international researchers found that medical alert dogs, trained to detect the presence of the virus, can accurately screen school-aged children. By sniffing the students’ ankles and feet, the dogs demonstrated over 95% accuracy in lab settings when differentiating between positive and negative COVID-19 samples. When deployed in schools, the dogs achieved an 83% accuracy rate in identifying COVID-19 positive children and a 90% accuracy rate for COVID-19 negative children.
Bruceploitation: The Search for Bruce Lee’s Successor
Following the untimely death of Bruce Lee in 1973, the film industries of Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea embarked on a quest to find a suitable successor to capitalize on his immense legacy. This era, later coined as “Bruceploitation,” saw a slew of actors adopting screen names reminiscent of the martial arts legend, such as Bruce Li, Bruce Lai, and Brute Lee, among others.
https://youtu.be/eYPAPGmunNg
The Bruceploitation subgenre eventually lost momentum with the rise of another Hong Kong martial artist, Jackie Chan, whose films like Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master helped solidify his position as the new face of martial arts cinema. This shift marked the end of the search for a Bruce Lee replacement and the beginning of a new era in the world of martial arts films.